Syracuse Basketball: Alan Griffin block ‘one of best plays I’ve ever seen’

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim fired up Alan Griffin to just go out and play the game.

Syracuse basketball junior small forward Alan Griffin had proven tremendous, by and large, all season long prior to getting zero points this past Wednesday afternoon as the Orange squeaked by Northeastern, 62-56, from the Carrier Dome.

After that contest, ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim ripped into Griffin, a transfer from Illinois, saying that his player let his struggles on offense affect his all-around game, including his play on defense.

Fast-forward to Saturday evening on the Hill, and in the first half versus fellow Empire State foe Buffalo, Griffin still didn’t get much done in a positive manner on either end of the floor as the Bulls built up a double-digit lead.

Boeheim told Griffin to be less concerned about his shot, and more concerned about playing the game of basketball, the Syracuse basketball head coach said via a Zoom call with media members following his team’s encounter with Buffalo.

After intermission, Griffin clearly turned things up a notch. His energy was terrific. He was flying all over the place. His activity level was top-notch, as he effectively drove into the lane and crashed the boards, both on the offensive and defensive glass.

Per ESPN statistics, Griffin would finish with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field while connecting on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in 39 minutes of action. He also tallied 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks.

This last stat line proved the most important one. Griffin and his teammates stormed back from a 16-point deficit in the second half, and the Orange had a chance to win this non-conference battle in the waning seconds with the score tied at 87.

However, Buffalo stole the ball from senior big man Marek Dolezaj, and the Bulls looked like they would score a fast-break bucket to prevail right before the final buzzer sounded. Griffin, though, came out of nowhere and made a ridiculous block that sent this bout into overtime.

The ‘Cuse would outscore Buffalo by 11 points in the extra session, resulting in a thrilling 107-96 victory for the Orange (6-1) over the Bulls (3-3). The ‘Cuse avenged a 71-59 setback to Buffalo at the Dome about two years ago, and the Orange pushes its overall series edge against the Bulls to 29-6.

Griffin, in the virtual press conference following the Syracuse basketball conquering of Buffalo, said regarding the block that the game was on the line, and it was “win or go home.”

Versus Northeastern, Griffin said that he had let his teammates down, and they had his back, so he wanted to get back on track versus Buffalo. He certainly did just that.

Boeheim said the Griffin block was “one of the best plays” he’s ever seen and “saved the game for us.” Griffin was a “monster” on the offensive glass, Boeheim said.

Orange junior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim said via Zoom that he and his teammates knew that Griffin would bounce back after a rough outing against Northeastern. Griffin “gives it his all no matter what,” Boeheim said.